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| HER Number: | MDV114604 |
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| Name: | Rifle Range on Welstor Common |
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Summary
Late 19th century rifle range established in 1861 for use by the Ashburton Rifle Volunteers, continuing in use until at least 1886. Depicted on the First Edition Ordnance Survey map, but not shown on the early 20th century historic map.
Location
| Grid Reference: | SX 738 734 |
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| Map Sheet: | SX77SW |
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| Admin Area | Dartmoor National Park |
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| Civil Parish | Ashburton |
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| District | Teignbridge |
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| Ecclesiastical Parish | ASHBURTON |
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Protected Status
- SHINE: Earthwork remains of a Bronze Age parallel reave system on Buckland Common and Blackslade Down, including prehistoric hut circle settlements and cairns, medieval and later remains
Other References/Statuses
Monument Type(s) and Dates
- RIFLE RANGE (XIX - 1861 AD to 1886 AD)
Full description
Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.
Late 19th century historic map shows 'Targets' at the south and the firing line of the range, with 200, 500, 600 and 800 yards marked out. The range ended in north not far away from boundary stone MDV30595.
Crossing, W., 1912 (1965), Crossing's Guide to Dartmoor, 346 (Monograph). SDV320981.
Newman, P., 2015, Rippon Tor Premier Archaeological Landscape, Dartmoor National Park, Devon (Report - Survey). SDV359145.
Newman, P., 2015, Rippon Tor Premier Archaeological Landscape, Dartmoor National Park, Devon, 40 (Report - Survey). SDV359145.
Welstor Rifle Range. A rifle range was established on Welstor Common in 1861 for use by the Ashburton Rifle Volunteers and represents the earliest recorded military training within the Rippon Tor PAL (Premier Archaeological Landscape). It continued in use until at least 1886 when depicted on the First Edition Ordnance Survey map, but by the time of the Second Edition (1905) it was absent, although William Crossing refers to it in his 1912 Guide to Dartmoor.
The range is aligned north-south, with targetry located at the site of a small quarry, whose spoil dump probably overlies the stop butt depicted on the 1886 map. The firing positions do not survive, but a level platform of ground (MDV25186), west of the firing line, may have supported a timber structure, which may have been associated with the range, although other sources suggest this may have been associated with a small golf course on the common recorded in 1910.
Sources / Further Reading
| SDV320981 | Monograph: Crossing, W.. 1912 (1965). Crossing's Guide to Dartmoor. Crossing's Guide to Dartmoor. Hardback Volume. 346. |
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| SDV336179 | Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 1880-1899. First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map. First Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Map (Digital). [Mapped feature: #73934 ] |
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| SDV359145 | Report - Survey: Newman, P.. 2015. Rippon Tor Premier Archaeological Landscape, Dartmoor National Park, Devon. South-West Landscape Investigations. A4 Bound + Digital. 40. |
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Associated Monuments
| MDV30595 | Related to: Boundary stone on Buckland Common (Monument) |
| MDV25193 | Related to: Disused quarry on Welstor Common (Monument) |
| MDV25186 | Related to: Earthwork platform on Welstor Common (Monument) |
| MDV25188 | Related to: Medieval field boundaries on Welstor Common (Monument) |
| MDV7983 | Related to: Reave system on Buckland Common (Monument) |
| MDV112772 | Related to: Strip cultivation on Welstor Common (Monument) |
| MDV25202 | Related to: Wall running across Buckland Common, Buckland in the Moor (Monument) |
Associated Finds: none recorded
Associated Events
- EDV6836 - Rippon Tor Premier Archaeological Landscape survey
| Date Last Edited: | Dec 14 2021 10:32AM |
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